YouTube is home to billions of great movies from around the world. From music videos and karaoke to educational videos and movie trailers, YouTube has it all. However, you can only watch these videos if you have a fast internet connection. So, what can you do if you want to watch a video when you’re not connected to the internet?
Downloading YouTube videos for offline viewing is an easy way to make sure you can watch your favorite videos anytime on your computer, mobile phone, tablet, or laptop. But first, let’s understand how YouTube and its videos work.
What Is YouTube?
YouTube is a streaming video platform where people can upload, view, and share videos. Each video has a page with a unique URL. Think of it as the equivalent of a movie theater – you can watch all sorts of videos on YouTube without downloading them or paying for them.
How Does YouTube Work?
YouTube works by streaming videos to your device. This means that when you view a video, it’s being downloaded in small chunks as you watch it. It’s not downloading the entire video at once, which is why YouTube can stream high-quality videos even with slower internet speeds.
However, if you have an extremely slow connection, you’ll need to wait longer for your videos to load, or YouTube will automatically degrade the video quality to help the video load faster.
Is Downloading YouTube Videos Illegal?
No, downloading YouTube videos is not entirely illegal since no one has been arrested for doing so. However, you need to be careful about where you’re going to use it for. For example, if you’re downloading a video for your personal use, like for watching them at home or while you’re traveling, then you should be fine.
However, if you’re downloading a specific video to redistribute it as your own and potentially make money from it, then it can have you in trouble. Downloading copyrighted material without permission is a crime and can result in legal action against you.
The most legal way to download YT videos is to avail of their premium plan to access their download feature or offline viewing feature. Just like your typical streaming service, YouTube has also integrated this convenient feature for its paying users. So, if you like watching videos offline, you should look for streaming services that offer that feature, like Sling TV, Amazon Prime Video, and Hulu.
How to Download YouTube Videos on Your Computer
If you want to download a video on your computer, there are several tools and apps you can use. We recommend using tools that are specifically designed to download YouTube videos in high quality with just a few clicks, so it’s easy and fast to use. Here are the steps:
- Install 4K Video Downloader or a similar tool on your computer by downloading it from the official website.
- Open the program and enter the URL of the video you want to download.
- Select your desired resolution or format for the video file, then press Download.
- The file will start downloading on your computer, and it’ll be available in a few minutes (depending on the size of the video file and how fast your internet connection is).
Can I Download a YouTube Video on My Computer without Installing a Software?
Yes, you can download YouTube videos without buying or installing any software. All you need is the URL of the video and a web browser. There are numerous online free tools that you can use to download the video. You just need to copy and paste the URL on their website, and you’re good to go. Some of the most reliable YouTube video downloaders are Ddownr, Y2mateTV, YTMP3, KeepVid, and Safefrom.net.
If you’re not comfortable doing this, you can also download a video when you purchase YouTube Premium so you can access its offline viewing feature. Just like other streaming services such as Netflix, Disney Plus, Dish TV, Hulu, and more, it offers this excellent feature to its users. However, there are certain limitations you might encounter when doing this.
YouTube Premium is the best and safest way to download YouTube videos on your computer or on any device for that matter.
How to Download YouTube Videos on Mobile
There are two ways to download videos on mobile, depending on what type of mobile phone you have.
For Android Phones
Downloading YT videos on android phones is usually easy and straightforward. There are numerous ways to do this, so you will not run out of options if one of them doesn’t work for you. Moreover, it’s just similar to how you download a video on a PC or laptop. Here are the steps:
- Install a YouTube downloader app like TubeMate, Videoder, or Snaptube.
- Open the app and look for the video you want to download.
- Copy the URL of the video and paste it into the search bar of the YouTube downloader app.
- Select the resolution and format for the video, then press Download. The file should start downloading on your android phone.
- Once it’s done, you can find it in the download folder on your phone.
For iPhone
Downloading YouTube videos on an iPhone is a bit tricky since the App Store doesn’t have any apps that can help you do this. However, there are some workarounds that you can do, such as using Screen Recording or downloading a Mac app that can help you with this.
The best and safest way to download YouTube videos on an iPhone is to use YouTube Premium. It’s the same as downloading a video on a computer with this subscription — you just need to look for the “Download” button, select your desired resolution or format, then press Download. After that, you can access your downloaded video by going to “Offline Playlist” in the YouTube app.
How to Download YouTube Videos on Tablet
Similar to mobile phones, you can download YouTube videos on a tablet in two ways, depending on what type of tablet you have.
For Android Tablets: You can download YouTube videos on your Android tablet by using the same methods as mentioned in the “How to Download YouTube Videos on Mobile” section above.
For iPads: The same workarounds to download YouTube videos on an iPhone can also be used on iPads. The best and safest way is still to use YouTube Premium, which you can get from the YouTube app itself.
Streaming Services and Offline Viewing Features
The importance of being able to view videos offline cannot be emphasized enough. That’s why most streaming services nowadays offer users the ability to download content and watch it later — even without an internet connection.
Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Hulu, Disney+, Apple TV, HBO Max, Go Latino TV, and many other streaming services all have their own version of an offline viewing feature for the convenience of their users.
Conclusion
Downloading videos from YouTube is an easy task, and there are various ways to do it. You can use a website or app-based downloader for your computer or a YouTube Premium subscription for downloading on any device. No matter which option you choose, you will be able to enjoy watching your favorite videos anytime and anywhere — even without an internet connection.
So go ahead and start downloading!